Media house moves HC to restrain Niira Radia from filing suit in UK

English weekly India Today's publisher has moved the Delhi High Court to restrain corporate lobbyist Niira Radia from initiating any legal action against it in London for an alleged defamatory article published in the magazine's UK edition last year.

English weekly India Today's publisher has moved the Delhi High Court to restrain corporate lobbyist Niira Radia from initiating any legal action against it in London for an alleged defamatory article published in the magazine's UK edition last year.

In its petition, Living Media India Ltd sought the court to "pass a decree of permanent injunction in favour of the company against defendant (Radia) from filing or prosecuting any suit or other proceedings relating to any publication made by the plaintiff (company) on her or any other corporate entity that she owns or controls, in any court outside the territory of India.

The petition was filed through counsel Anup Bhambani.

Radia, who owned PR firm Vaishnavi Corporate Communication, had filed a defamatory suit against the media house before the High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division) in London.

Appearing before Justice Kailash Gambhir, counsel Bhambani today submitted that Radia had filed two different civil suits seeking injunction and damages which are pending before this very court and she should not be allowed to initiate further legal action against the magazine in any court out side the country on the same issue.

The magazine had reproduced in May 2010 the transcripts of some of the telephone conversations of Radia with senior journalists, politicians, and corporate houses. Many of them have denied the allegations.